3:33 | Silver Eyes

01 - satan's tears

Do you have the courage to ruin a Walt Whitman poem with your utter nonsense? Mania Frances Finley does. Well, do you have the courage to sit in a classroom for 40 minutes straight? Mania Frances Finley doesn't.

Minute hand of the clock slided onto the next stripe slowly, boring the unusually large, brown pair of eyes that was fixated on it. It was one of those loud and chaotic classrooms that made teachers want to quit their job forever and never see a teenager again. Half filled with student who were reasonable enough to worry and care about their future, quarter filled with students who were simply average and needed their parents' constant reminder and pressure to study and the last quarter filled with students who somehow, had been rapidly evolving backwards since their birth. And then there was one girl, the main female catalyst of the chaos happened to be the owner of those broad eyes that were fixated on the clock that she classified as 'boring' just now. The chair she was sitting on fell behind her as a result of her sudden take-off, "O captain, my captain!" she crowed, announcing her voice that resembles of a 10 year old's once again. It was a pop quiz day where Mr. Wayne was quizzing random students to recite the most famous poem of Walt Whitman that he had told them to memorize two weeks ago. "Rise up and hear the bells!" she chanted, not because she studied and memorized the poem but because that's what she could recall from Dead Poets Society. And because she was bored. A subtle laughter from all sides of the class arose before Mr. Wayne warned with his weary tone; "Miss Finley, sit down. You may continue to smile like The Joker and recite your incompletely memorized homework when it's your turn."

She scoffed, "Oh come now! I'm trying to bring out The Batman in you! Also the joke's on you, I haven't memorized it 'incompletely'. I haven't memorized it at all!" she tossed her arms out and continued, "I just remember these from that dead poet movie. Y'know?" with a high-pitched emphasis on the last word. Her boredom had gotten the best of her yet again. It was favor to the entire class in her mind, thinking everyone enjoyed to see Mr. Wayne angry.

Majority of the class turned their backs to look at Mania, who was standing loosely with a nonsensical expression on her face. Some thought she was a fool, some thought she was too smart. The studious group of girls who sat on the front desk didn't hesitate to target their disturbed glance onto her. Their unofficial headgirl Lexie Ryder was about to throw a riposte bullet into Mania's way, being triggered by seeing her favorite teacher's authority being disregarded by a manic pixie girl when Mr. Wayne asked, "Is that how your father taught you?". His tie hung loosened on his neck just like how it always does during the last period of the day. It could be considered to be a sign of exhaustation...that Mania never took notice of. But she did take notice of her young teacher's intention to faze her by attempting to fire up an agitation from where her lack lied, which would be the absence of a father.

Mania silked her shoulders as soon as the words came out of her teacher's mouth. "I didn't need a father to learn how to have some fun. Well, it's definitely what your dad failed to teach you though," she sneered at her tensed teacher with a sickly sweet voice. The most awkward silence took over the class that didn't seem to disturb Mania's straight stance with an unrelenting smile on her face. The skater boys smiled in awe, showing a humble and subtle appreciation in their own way while the boy who co-ruled beside her as the biggest male troublemaker expressed his appericiation in a more dramatic way by clapping and affirmatively nodding, drawing the attention onto him and his broad chest making itself known despite his black leather jacket.

A quieter guy in comparison to the plaugsome yet considered to be handsome by majority of the school girls, added "Now I call that literary." in a tone that was very much audible still. His addition made Mania stood straighter and insert her own final addition with the warmth of the genuine support of a beloved friend she felt in her heart; "And that was the most poetic thing you'll ever hear in this class, by anyone." smiling and feeling all gassed up. It was definitely a success for Fletcher to make her feel good. A noise of entertained growl escalated from most of the boys and girls and class. Guys sounded more animalistic while girls giggled except Lexie Ryder and her tribe of 4. Everything about the current situation from Mania's smug smile to the guys' pleasure irritated Lexie. She didn't feel satisfied by dissing biting remarks under her breathe nor getting higher scores in tests anymore, even though that meant winning bets against Mania. She did claim she could get a higher score than Lexie multiple times and Lexie had took it onto a bet which she had won and provided a temporary rush of victory. It was what she deserved indeed, after studying regularly every day. Mania on the other hand, remembered she had a bet to win about 5 minutes before the teacher had come into the class with a pile of test papers in her hand.